The councillors left the Labour Party en masse on Thursday, claiming that the party had “abandoned traditional Labour values” with policies such as the cut to the winter fuel allowance for pensioners.
A Labour spokesperson said that the decision of the Broxtowe councillors, 18 months after being elected, was “disappointing”.
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The 20 councillors are planning to create a new independent party and run the council as a minority administration in the short term.
They claimed that 10 of them had been prevented from standing for Labour in upcoming local elections after raising concerns about cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment.
Council leader Milan Radulovic had been a party member for 42 years before he walked away from Labour on Thursday.
“I cannot support and will not support another centrist government intent on destroying local democracy and dictating national policy from a high pedestal,” he said.
“I believe the concentration of power in the hands of fewer people and the abolition of local democracy through the current proposals of super councils is nothing short of a dictatorship, where local elected members, local people, local residents will have no say over the type and level of service provided in their area,” he said.
Broxtowe Labour Councillors said: “It is incredibly disappointing that some Broxtowe councillors have decided to leave the Labour Party and sit as independents when they were elected on a Labour ticket just over 18 months ago.
“These defections have no effect on the commitment of the remaining Labour councillors in serving our residents.
“We, together with our Labour colleagues including MPs Juliet Campbell and Alex Norris, will continue to work to make Broxtowe a healthier, greener, safer and more prosperous place for everyone as change begins under this Labour government.”